Journal of breath research
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Arterial lactate concentrations, taken as indicators of physical fitness, in athletes as well as in patients with cardio-respiratory or metabolic diseases, are measured invasively from arterialized ear lobe blood. Currently developed micro enzyme detectors permit a non-invasive measurement of hypoxia-related metabolites such as lactate in exhaled breath condensate (EBC). The aim of our study is to prove whether this technology will replace the traditional measurement of lactate in arterialized blood. ⋯ Detectable releases of lactate in exhaled breath condensate were found already under resting conditions. During exhausting external load on a bicycle spiroergometer, an increase in the lactate concentration was found in arterialized blood along with an increased lactate release in EBC. The correlation between expiratory lactate release via EBC and lactate concentration in arterialized blood is studied in pursuing investigations.